Particle detector for particulate matter accumulated on a surface
AssigneeSharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
InventorsChangqing Zhan, Paul John Schuele
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Particle detectors and methods for detecting particulate matter accumulated on a surface are provided. According to one aspect, the particle detector may comprise a substrate, an optical light source configured to emit light along a light path, a waveguide associated with the substrate, having a surface exposed to a gaseous environment and configured to accumulate on the surface particulate matter from the gaseous environment, a detector configured to receive the emitted light from the waveguide, and a controller configured to determine the intensity of the detected light and output an indication of an opacity of the surface of the waveguide with the accumulated particulate matter.
Claims20
A particulate matter detector comprising:
- a substrate;
- an optical light source configured to emit light having an intensity along a light path;
- a waveguide associated with the substrate, having a surface exposed to a gaseous environment and the waveguide surface configured to accumulate directly thereon particulate matter from the gaseous environment;
- a detector configured to receive the emitted light from the waveguide;
- and
- a controller configured to determine a change in the intensity of the light emitted from the waveguide, and output an indication of an opacity of the surface of the waveguide with the accumulated particulate matter thereon based on a change in intensity of the emitted light;
- wherein the controller determines an indication of an opacity of the surface of the waveguide with the accumulated particulate matter by comparing the detected intensity with a known intensity at the optical light source.
A method for detecting particulate matter accumulated on a surface of a waveguide, the method comprising:
- accumulating the particulate matter from a gaseous environment directly on the surface of a waveguide;
- emitting light having an intensity along a light path within the waveguide associated with a substrate;
- receiving the emitted light from emitted from the waveguide;
- determining the intensity of the received light;
- outputting an indication of an opacity of the waveguide surface based on a change in the intensity of the emitted light resulting from the particulate matter;
- wherein the indication of an opacity of the surface of the waveguide with the accumulated particulate matter is calculated by comparing the intensity of the received light with the intensity of the emitted light.
A particle detector incorporated into a solar panel, the particle detector comprising:
- a substrate;
- an optical light source including at least one optical emitter configured to emit light along a respective light path;
- a plurality of waveguides formed in separate rows, each waveguide having a surface exposed to a gaseous environment and configured to accumulate on the surface particulate matter from the gaseous environment, an associated first optical grating disposed along the respective light path configured to structure the light received from the optical emitter into structured light and pass the structured light into the waveguide, and an associated second optical grating disposed along the light path and configured to receive the structured light from the waveguide;
- at least one detector configured to receive the emitted light from each waveguide via the respective second optical grating;
- and
- a controller configured to determine an intensity of the detected light for each waveguide, and output an indication of an opacity of the surface of at least one of the plurality of waveguides with the accumulated particulate matter;
- wherein
- the controller is configured to compare the intensity of the detected light for at least two waveguides, and if a difference between the at least two intensities exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller is configured to output an error message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.